Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-17
A LATER ACCOUNT.
An Eyewitness Tells the Story of the
Wreck and Explosion.

An Eyewitness Tells the Story of the
Wreck and Explosion.
SAN Francisco, January 16th.-The first
man to see the schooner Parallel on the
rocks was III all probability John Hyslop,
who has. charge of the signal service con-
nected with the Merchants Exchange and
located on the prominent bluff on the ocean
beach between the Cliff House and Fort
Point, known as Point Lobos. He gaZed
at the doomed craft through his telescope,
and after a while telephoned the news into
town. In the Cliff House the first person
to notice the wreck was Johnnie Pearson.
son of c. r. Pearson, lessee of the house.
]. NJ. WILKINS NARRATIVE
OF the discovery, and what was done in
the way of succoring the supposed ship
wrecked mariners on facilitated schooner,
is as follows:
johnnie came to my room at $50
O'Clock and called me up, saying there was
a wreck on the rocks. The house was open
yet. but l lit up and came down and got a
coil of rope and made for the wreck, which
is about 200 yards north of the Cliff House,
in a direct line. When 1 reached there
with the aid of lantern, found Martin,
Foreman of Sutro's laborers, already there
with quite a number of men. They were
crawling down the side of the cliff to reach
the wreck, which was below them. The
vessel lay with her head on, and bow in
Everything was intact. The sails were all
set, and her green and red lights were
burning dimly. The breakers were rush
got line hove and managed to
PULL LANTERN ON BOARD.
Mr.. Sutro was there on the cliff, and when
he saw me he told me to hurry as fast as |
could to get up the people of the Life-Sav-
ing Station. l got up the hill as quickly as
l could, and on reaching the Clubhouse
appropriated guests buggy and horse and
drove for the station. On the way met
two men without lanterns coming slowly
up the hill. told them of the wreck, and
they collected their traps and brought
their handle cart with a mortar-gun, and to
help them reach the scene of the wreck
as fast as possible hitched Oh also to the
cart the horse which had taken. When
returned to the hill Hyslop called out that
there was no use to go aboard, as there was
not as soul on her. The Life Saving men,
however, dragged their cart down to the
beach and tried several times to cast line
across the schooner's deck and to fasten to
her. Johnnie 2, arson and Andrew AID
rich, the barkeeper, at this time saw big
boat, which | supposed was the lifeboat,
carried high and dry by huge breaker.
THERE WAS NO ONE IN HER,
And she did not have the appearance of
any one having been in her. She was badly
strained, and her bottom was stove so that
she could not have fioated long. While we
were absent on the beach l suggested that
a line had better be thrown aboard in order
to hold her and get salvage. This was
done, and we tied her up. The time was
now midnight, and | left TO close up the
Cliff House, and all went TO bed, leaving
the ship pounding away on the rocks. No
one has been found who saw the stranded
vessel before $50 o'clock, or who noticed
her while drifting in-shore. Men work
ing for Mr.. Sutro on his extensive
on the ocean beach
stopped work about $50 o'clock, when the
tide was getting low. None of them had
then noticed the schooner. All night long
in the cove there were men on guard stand
ing under the shelter of the bluff, who had
charge of the powder used in blasting,
which had been safely deposited in crevices
dug out at the base of the bluff. These men
knew nothing of the presence of the
schooner pounding on the rocks not 100
feet away from them, on the other side of
the bluff, until about $50 o'clock. Their
discovery was simultaneous to that of Hys-
lop and young Pearson"
STATEMENT CT THE OWNER OF THE Vessel.
c.. B. Peterson, owner of the schooner
Parallel, said THE cargo consisted of
,132 fifty-pound boxes Of giant powder,
and 500 fifty pound boxes of dynamite,
shipped by the manufacturers. Bandmann
e. Nj .lsen, of Front street; some cases of
machine and kerosene oil, the exact guam
tity of which cannot remember; ten tons
of hay, ten tons of coal and ten tons
OF pig iron. There was also 10000 feet of
seven and eight-inch oak boards for build
ing salmon-boats at Astoria. There was
also a salmon boat on the deck. The
powder was for blasting purposes in rail-
road construction, and was consigned to
Bandmann & Nelson's agent in Oregon
The schooner, on her voyage down from
Humboldt Bay, encountered very heavy
weather, and stood it well-in fact. better
than most OF the other vessels caught in
the same gale. Thought she was well out
at sea last night. She lett the wharf to put
out TO sea last Wednesday evening, but
Captain Miller, on getting to Black Point,
ehored for the night. On Thursday he
PEELED, owing to the weather, to cast anchor
unsuccessful in his efforts to get outside,
but on Saturday the weather was clear,
With fair wind, and he got outside the
Golden Gate. The wind then died out and |
she was drifting onto the south side, be- |
yond the Golden Gate Captain Miller tried |
% wear her, but failed. There was, be |
IF at ho and